Typographical composing machine



Jan. 29, 1957 P. HlLPMAN 2,779,456

TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Filed May 11, 1955 1 N V EN TOR. PA UL H/L PMA .N

United States Patent TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING 'MACHINE Paul Hilpman, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to Morgenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application May 11, 1953, Serial No. 353,958

4 Claims. (Cl. 199-30) This invention relates to typographical composing machines of the general organization represented in United States Letters Patent to 0. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532, wherein circulating matrices and expansible spacebands are composed in line in an assembler elevator by the operation of a keyboard, the elevator raised to line transfer position, the composed line transferred therefrom to the face of a mold for the casting of a type bar or slug, and the matrices thereafter separated and returned to their respective storage magazines for further use.

In these machines, the matrices and spacebands are composed in the elevator by a rotary starwheel and against a yielding line resistant finger. The finger is mounted at the end of an assembler slide, and this slide, although always under spring tension, is acted upon by a friction brake which permits it to move forward under influence of the incoming matrices and spacebands but prevents its return movement under the tension of the spring. When the composition of the line has been completed and the elevator raised, the assembler slide brake is released, and the slide and finger are returned by the spring to the starting position preparatory to the composition of the next line.

During composition, both the matrices and spacebands travel toward the elevator bottom end first, and they are pushed into the elevator against the action of the spring by the rotating starwheel. The matrices, being comparatively short one-piece elements settle on the elevator supporting rails without too much difficulty, but the tightness of the line frequently prevents the longer two-piece spacebands from properly settling in place. This undesirable condition interferes with the smooth assembly of matrices and spacebands, the slower assembly of spacebands sometimes causing jams. In addition, if the matrices in the line are separated by the wide lower portions of the spacebands, rather than their thin upper portions (which sometimes happens when a spaceband fails to drop to its proper hanging position), accurate measurement of the unjustified line in the assembler is impossible, with the result that composed lines which are incapable of full expansion between the fixed vise jaws may be delivered to the casting mechanism. Improper seating of the spacebands may also impede the smooth transfer of a composed line from the assembler elevator through the intermediate channel and into the first elevator.

The present invention is directed to a new device for facilitating the proper assembly of spacebands, in order to overcome the above undesirable conditions, and it accomplishes this purpose by reducing or removing the tension on a composed line before each spaceband enters the elevator. In this way, much of resistance to the entry and settling of the spacebands in the line is eliminated, and the spacebands are able to quickly assume their natural hanging and properly seated positions.

The exact arrangement will be more fully described in the detailed specification which follows.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the assembling mechanism of a line casting machine equipped with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of the control mechanism of the new device;

2,779,456 Patented Jan. 29, 1957 ICC Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spaceband release mechanism; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of an operative part i rotating starwheel 4, and the starwheel stacks them, one .by one, in line in an assembler elevator B against a line resistant finger 5. The guide chute and starwheel are located behind a pivotal protective cover plate C.

The spacebands y are stored in a magazine D and are released by the operation of either of two special keys A located at oppositesides of the keyboard. Upon release, the spacebands fall by gravity through a chute E, and they are likewise assembled in the elevator by the rotating starwheel 4. When a complete line has been composed, the elevator is raised and the line transferred therefrom to the casting mechanism.

The line resistant finger 5 is carried at the extreme left end of a long assembler slide 6 which is provided, as usual, with an adjustable stop member 7 capable of being set in relation to a. scale 6 on the slide to control the length of the line to be composed. The stop member 7 is adapted to strike against afixed abutment 8 when the line is composed to maximum length.

The assembler slide 6 is mounted to move freely to the left under the influence of the incoming matrices and spacebands, although its yielding movement is always under the restraint of a clock spring 9 which constantly urges the slide toward the right. This retrograde movement, however, is prevented by a pivotal brake it) having parallel friction surfaces which grip the upper and lower edges of the slide. When the brake 110 is in a vertical position, the parallel friction surfaces do not interfere with the retrograde movement of the slide and, hence, the clock spring 9 is free to return the slide to the right. Normally, however, the brake is spring urged to a pivoted locking position to prevent any return movement of the slide by the clock spring. As the matrices and spacebands are assembled by the starwheel 4 against the finger 5, the slide is moved along against the action of the clock spring, the friction surfaces of the brake yielding slightly and allowing the slide to move to the left. When the composed line is raised by the elevator, the brake 10 is automatically tripped in the well known manner and the slide returned to the right or start position preparatory to the composition of the next line.

The spacebands are released from their magazine D by an escapement mechanism actuated by a mechanical linkage including a horizontally disposed lever 14 and a vertical link 15. The lower end of the link 15 is positioned above and is adapted to be actuated by the free end of a pivoted yoke 16 which carries a one-revolution cam 12.

The yoke 16 is normally supported by a trip member 17, with the cam 12 out of engagement with a constantly rotating keyboard roll 13, but the trip member is connected to the spaceband release keys A by a vertical bar lit, so

that the depression of a key A releases the trip and permits the cam to engage the periphery of the roll. The single rotation of cam 12 by the roll 13 raises and lowers the yoke 16, the spaceband being released at the end of the keyboard action rather than the beginning, and in this respect differing from the timing of the release of a matrix.

As thus far described, the parts and their mode of operation are or may be the same as embodied in the commercial Linotype machines.

As previously stated, the spacebands frequently have elevator.

I 3 diiiiculty in properly entering and seating in the assembler elevator B, due primarily to the tight condition of the line during assembly. According to the present invention, the tightness of the line is relieved just before the release of each spaceband and, in this way, the space-- bands easily enter, quickly settle and properly seat in. the In the preferred embodiment illustrated, means are provided tomove the assembler slide 6 to the left a distance approximately equal to the lower thick end of the pendant section of the spacebands.

Referring particulary to Figures 1 and 4, this tension relieving movement of the assembler slide 6 is effected by a friction member 20 pivotally mounted on the front plate of the machine. Like the assembler slide brake 10, the member 20 has parallel oppositely disposed friction surfaces 20 adapted to grip the upper and lower edges of the assembler slide durnig operation (the operative position being indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 4), but in its normal inoperative position (indicated by the solid lines in Fig. 4) there is clearance between the friction surfaces and assembler slide, so that the member 20 does not interfere with the regular movements of the slide. During the pivotal operation of the member 20, the friction surfaces 261* engage the edges of the-slide and force the slide the desired predetermined distance to the left, making room in the line for the accommodation of the incoming spaceband.

The operation of the friction member 20 is controlled by a rotary solenoid 211 also mounted on the front plate of the machine. The rotary solenoid 21 has a pivotal armature 21 which normally locates the friction member 20 in its inoperative position under the influence of a. spring 20 tending constantly to move the friction member to the right. When the solenoid is energized, however, the armature pivots the member 20 to the position indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 4, thereby pushing'the assembler slide 6 to the left in the manner just explained. Although the operation of the rotary solenoid is only momentary, nevertheless any retrograde or return movement of the assembler slide under the influence of the clock spring 9 is prevented by the friction brake 110, which immediately takes hold.

The operation of the rotary solenoid is controlled from the spaceband release mechanism. The solenoid 21 is in series with a normally open electrical switch 22, which switch is adapted to be closed at the proper time by the pivotal lifting action of the cam yoke 16. The actual release of the spaceband occurs, as usual, during the downward movement of the cam yoke, hence the tension releasing movement of the assembler slide prior to the entry of the spaceband into the assembler is insured.

An electrical circuit diagram is shown in Fig. 2. A transformer T steps down the voltage source from 110-120 volts A. C. to 24 volts A. C.; and a selenium bridge type rectifier R converts the A. C. to D. C. and acts as the voltage supply for the circuit, the current flowing to the rotary solenoid 21 when the switch 22 is closed.

The present invention has been shown in preferred form only, but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein and in its mode of application which will still be comprised within its spirit. For

example, operation of the friction member 2t) may be effected through mechanical linkages instead of electrically. vMoreover, the assembler slide, instead of being moved to the left directly by the tension relieving device, could be operated indirectly through the medium of the partly composed line. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specifled in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

I. In a typographical composing machine, the com-- bination of an assembler in which matrices and spacebands are composed in line, a rotary starwheel for stacking said elements in the assembler, a. yielding member movable under the influence of the incoming elements for supporting the line endwise, means for releasing the spacebands from their storage magazine, and means controlled by the spaceband releasing means to effect a yielding movement of the line supporting member before the spaceband reaches the assembler to facilitate the entry of a spaceband into the assembler.

2. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of an assembler in which matrices and space bands are composed in line, a rotary starwheel for stacking said elements in the assembler, a line resistant finger for supporting the line endwise, an assembler slide to which said finger is attached, a spring normally urging a return movement of the slide, a friction brake operative on the slide to prevent said return movement but permitting au advancing movement of said slide during composition of the line, mechanism for releasing the spacebands from their storage magazine, a tension relieving device operative to advance the assembler slide a. predetermined distance, and means controlled by the spaceband releasing mechanism to operate said device prior to the entry or" the released spaceband into the assembler.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein the actuating means for the tension relieving device include an electrical switch controlled by the spaceband releasing mechanism, and a rotary solenoid energized through said switch.

4. In a typographical composing machine, the comb-ination of an assembler in which matrices and spacebands are'composed in line, a rotary starwheel for stacking said elements in the assembler, a yielding member movable under the influence of the incoming elements for supporting the line endwise, means for releasing the spacebands from their storage magazine, and automatic means. distinct from the rotary starwheel and controlled by the spaceband releasing means, for efllecting a yielding movement of the line supporting member during composition of the line, said automatic means being actuated each time a spaceband is released and before the spaceband reaches the assembler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 868,538 Drewell Oct. 15, 1907 924,000 Rogers June 8, 1907 1,970,566 Kleinschmidt Aug. 21, 1934 1,970,567 Potts Aug. 21, 1934 

